New Haven, CT — Yale is going to be dangerous this season. “We are very excited for this year,” says associate head coach Pam Saunders. “We have a very strong freshmen class of three players to vie for the spots left by Katie Ballaine and Katie Harrison, who were the only seniors who graduated from our top 9 this past year. We are also glad to have Kimberley Hay back after a season-ending injury last year, which left a big hole in our line up.” The three newcomers are Shiyuan Mao, Madeline Tomlinson, and Jenny Scherl. Their names should sound familiar to college squash fans: Mao and Tomlinson both have older sisters on the Yale squad, and Scherls have represented several Ivy League schools on the squash courts. Hay’s return is also good news for Yale; she won the deciding match in the 2011 Women’s National Team Championships final, giving Yale a 5-4 victory over Harvard. The Bulldogs would love to return to championship form this season, and their goals are to win Ivy and national titles. “We aim to accomplish our goals with a good sporting attitude,” says Saunders, who explains that the Bulldogs will also continue to give back. “Every year our team works closely with SquashHaven, which is housed out of Yale. Our team members volunteer at least one hour per week with the kids and many are involved beyond those hours in the role of mentors.”
2012-2013 SEASON RECAP
Season Record: 13-5
Final Ranking: 5
Team Championships: 5th in the Howe Cup (A Division)
2013-2014 SEASON PREVIEW
Program Status: Varsity
Head Coach: David Talbott
Associate Head Coach: Pam Saunders
Returning Players from Team Championships: 1. Millie Tomlinson (2014 – First Team All-American; All-Ivy League Team); 3. Shihui Mao (2015 – Second Team All-American); 4. Gwen Tilghman (2014 – Scholar Athlete); 5. Lilly Fast (2014); 6. Issey Norman-Ross (2015); 7. Anna Harrison (2015); 8. Annie Ballaine (2016); 10. Georgia Blatchford (2016); Amanda Roberts (2016); Nina Kempner (2015); and Coco Siebert (2014)
Graduated/Non-Returning Players from 2012-2013 Team Championships: 2. Katie Ballaine (2013); 9. Katie Harrison (2013 – Scholar Athlete; Academic All Ivy); 11. Carolyn Brown (2013 – Scholar Athlete)
Additions to the 2013-2014 Roster:
- Additions: Shiyuan Mao, Madeline Tomlinson, and Jenny Scherl
- Returning from Injury: Kimberley Hay
Captain: Lilly Fast
Team Goals: Ivy League and National Championships
Key Matches: Ivy League and Trinity
To read other team previews, please visit the 2013-2014 College Squash Season Previews page.
Ithaca, NY — For the first time in Ithaca’s four-year history, the team advanced out of the first round of the Men’s National Team Championships, thanks to a win over Vassar. After advancing further last season, the team will be traveling farther this season. Captain John Harriss explains: “We have added more trips to our schedule. As of now, we will be going to Annapolis, Baltimore, Connecticut, and Boston (for nationals).” The program will also see a substantial influx of new players, some with extensive squash experience and some new to the sport. While the experienced players will have an immediate impact on the competitive roster, the new players will help the Bombers continue to grow. “We are very excited for this season, as we believe that we have more than nine players that are capable of playing in the top nine, giving our roster more depth than it has had in the team’s first four years,” says Harriss. “Our goal as a team is to go out and have fun. Our team is still very dedicated to squash both on the court and in the weight room, as we improve our skills.” According to Harriss, the team plans to “continue building on what we’ve done the last four seasons. I think we have the talent to break the top 45, and I’d like to see us do that, along with win multiple matches at nationals.”
Washington, DC — Georgetown desires to be the top club team in the Men’s College Squash Association. This will be no small tasks with the likes of Bucknell and Stanford sitting above the Hoyas in the club rankings. Georgetown also faces the University of Virginia twice this season and the Cavaliers are also interested in claiming the top club position. If the Hoyas intend to accomplish their goal, they will need shelve any type of excuse and show up to scheduled matches ready to play. Georgetown lost three players to graduation last season, but they have three players joining the squad who should fill spots at the bottom of the ladder. The team plans to train hard all season at Washington D.C. area facilities and hopes that their hard work will pay off in a successful season.
Lewiston, ME — Coming into the 2013 Men’s National Championships, Bates was seeded fifteenth overall. A clutch 5-4 win over Navy in the second round propelled the Bobcats into the consolation finals, where another 5-4 upset victory over Penn boosted their final ranking to thirteenth. This season, Bates will have other New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) opponents as well as Division I schools in their sights. Three players from the top ten have graduated, but Bates is restocking the ladder with a large incoming class. Ahmed Hatata of the Arab Academy for Science and Technology is expected to play in the top three, and Darius Campbell of Blair Academy is expected to play in the lower third of the starting lineup. Other additions to the squad include Carlos Ames (Mount Greylock High School), Spencer Burt (Lincoln High School), Creighton Foulkes (Concord Academy), Stefan Joseph (Cedar International School), and Nima Olumi (Beaver Country Day School). “The Bobcats are proud to be one of the most geographically and culturally diverse teams in the CSA and the most diverse athletic program at Bates College,” says head coach Pat Cosquer. This year the team will be dedicating the season to the memory of former head coach Herb Bunker, who founded the squash program at Bates and died in the spring.
South Bend, IN — Last season, the University of Notre Dame returned to the Women’s National Team Championships. In the Emerging Teams Division, the Fighting Irish lost three matches to Vanderbilt, Minnesota, and Washington University in St. Louis, but the trip served as valuable experience. Of the five players Notre Dame brought to the tournament, four are returning. In addition, two first years students are joining the squad. Notre Dame’s practice facilities were upgraded during the offseason. According to coach Geoff McCuen, “Over the summer we gained five more courts to practice on, but they are 18-foot (hardball) courts that were relined to look like softball courts. But it’s better than sending players to run on a treadmill when the courts were full.” WIth the experience of last season and better practice facilities, Notre Dame is poised for improvement this season.
Lancaster, PA — Although last season’s run for Franklin & Marshall at the Women’s National Team Championships was not ideal for the Diplomats, the three losses in the Kurtz Cup served as a learning experience and brought the team closer together. This season, F&M returns all but one player from last season’s top 9 and with the addition of four new players, two of whom should compete for positions in the top 4, the future looks bright in Lancaster. The team will volunteer with Squash ACES, Lancaster’s urban squash program. During the regular season, the Diplomats will have the opportunity to face Amherst, George Washington, and Williams, last season’s competition in the Kurtz Cup. These matches will be a great test for F&M prior to the National Team Championships. As the F&M website so accurately puts it, associate head coach Ron Epps will help motivate the team with his “epic and colorful introductions.”
Minneapolis, MN — Teams looking for a round robin in November would do well to consider Minnesota. The facility is expanding, and multiple men’s and women’s teams have committed to the event. And then there’s the chance to play Minnesota, an up-and-coming squad. “We are a young but growing and ambitious club program,” states coach John Stever. Next season the team will have access to nine courts, which will make for more convenient practice times, and the program is planning to recruit overseas. According to Stever, the team’s goals for the immediate future are to “demonstrate competitiveness with the better clubs in the Midwest and to continue our progress upward in the rankings.” Northwestern and Notre Dame will be two key matches on the Golden Gophers’ schedule as they work towards these goals. Minnesota will also continue to be involved with volunteer work. “The University of Minnesota hosts the Beyond Walls urban squash program, which provides an excellent opportunity for team members to volunteer both on court and in the classroom,” explains Stever.